April 21, 2010

Sacramento - David A. Sanchez, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association, released this statement today calling on state Senators to vote No on Senate Bill 955 by Republican state Senator Bob Huff of Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County. The bill, which ignores the real problems facing our schools and scapegoats teachers during bad economic times, passed out of the Senate Education Committee today.

“This bill is intended as a diversion to deflect attention from the real problems facing our schools. What’s most disheartening is it will not improve learning for our most challenged students and it’s not going to save the state or local school districts one dime. Legislators should be focused on reducing class sizes, saving jobs, keeping neighborhood schools open and providing assistance and support to all students, and especially our neediest students.

“The governor, Senators Bob Huff and Gloria Romero are focused on creating unnecessary, useless legislation that will drive quality, committed and experienced educators and administrators from our classrooms and neighborhood schools. This bill undermines existing laws that were specifically written to protect the civil rights of teachers from discrimination, favoritism and cronyism. Attacking experienced teachers is not the way to help students or improve learning.

“The Education Coalition comprised of administrators, school board members and teachers, along with legal advocates such as the Consumer Attorneys of California and many others, are opposing this disingenuous and dangerous bill because they fully recognize that it will place teachers at risk of retaliation and discrimination. It does not address the fundamental problem of catastrophic reduction in funding that is driving young teachers and school administrators out of the profession. This bad bill does not address the problems from increased class sizes, eliminating vital programs and services to children like art and music, cuts to school libraries and transportation, and denying students access to summer school and intervention programs. These are the problems that parents and the voters of California want the governor and lawmakers to solve.

“We are calling on all Senators to vote no on SB 955 and work on the real problems facing our schools.”

###The 325,000-member CTA is affiliated with the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.